Photos: Japan marks three years since tsunami disaster

KAZUHIRO NOGI, AFP/Getty Images03.11.2014

Balloons in the shape of doves are released into the air during a memorial service for tsunami victims at the former Yuriage junior high school in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2014 on the third anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northern Japan. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.

KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

People pray for tsunami victims at the seashore in Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2014, the third anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Japan marked the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster, which swept away 18,000 victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked a nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

Police officers observe a minute of silence on March 11, 2014 in Fukushima, Japan. On March 11 Japan commemorates the third anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 18,000 lives, and subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Ken Ishii
/ Getty Images

Two men offer prayers before the altar at Namie, near the striken TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2014 on the third anniversary day of massive earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNOYOSHIKAZU TSUNO
/ AFP/Getty Images

A clock at the elementary school damaged by tsunami still remains in Ukedo town, located within 5km from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 10, 2014 in Fukushima, Japan.
On March 11 Japan commemorates the third anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 18,000 lives, and subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Ken Ishii
/ Getty Images

A volunteer looks at paper lanterns during a memorial held in remembrance of victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami at Yuriage Junior High School on March 11, 2014 in Natori, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. On March 11 Japan commemorates the third anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 18,000 lives, and subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Yuriko Nakao
/ Getty Images

Members of the fire brigade and police officers observe a moments silence for tsunami victims in Namie, near the stricken TEPCO Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2014 on the third anniversary day of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northern Japan. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.YOSHIKAZU TSUNO
/ AFP/Getty Images

A visitor looks at pictures discovered in Sendai city after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster at a gymnasium in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2014. About 170,000 pictures will be displayed until March 16. Japan marked the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster, which swept away 18,000 victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked a nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

People pray for tsunami victims at a cenotaph in the coastal area of Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2014, the third anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and Tsunami disaster. Japan marked the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster, which swept away 18,000 victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked a nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

A woman prays in front of a place where her sister and brother-in-law used to live until they were killed in the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, in Natori, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, Tuesday, March 11, 2014. Japan on Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the disasters that killed 15,884 people and left more than 2,600 unaccounted for in vast areas of its northern coast.ãàéhómï½
/ AP

People observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. in Tokyo Tuesday, March 11, 2014, three years after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan. Japan marked the third anniversary on Tuesday of a devastating disasters that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing.Eugene Hoshiko
/ AP

Employees of a nursing home Tsutomu Sato, 34, left, and Yoko Katayama, 30, toss bouquets of flowers into the sea in remembrance of the 36 people who died in the home during the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Minamisoma Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, Tuesday, March 11 2014. Japan on Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed 15,884 people and left more than 2,600 unaccounted for in vast areas of its northern coast.Koji Sasahara
/ AP

Women (C) cry during a memorial service for tsunami victims at former Yuriage junior high school in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2014 to mark the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster which swept away thousands of victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked the nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

A tsunami survivor searches for the remains of missing people at Namie, near the striken TEPCO’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2014 on the third anniversary day of massive earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.YOSHIKAZU TSUNO
/ AFP/Getty Images

A tsunami survivor wipes away tears as he joins a search for the remains of missing people at Namie, near the striken TEPCO’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2014 on the third anniversary day of massive earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.YOSHIKAZU TSUNO
/ AFP/Getty Images

An elderly couple looks at names of tsunami victims on a monument on the seashore in Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2014, the third anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Japan marked the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster, which swept away 18,000 victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked a nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

People observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. in Tokyo Tuesday, March 11, 2014, three years after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan. Japan marked the third anniversary on Tuesday of a devastating disasters that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing.Eugene Hoshiko
/ AP

Visitors offer prayers in front of the main entrance of Okawa Elementary School where 74 of the 108 students went missing after the March 11, 2011 tsunami in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, Tuesday, March 11, 2014. Japan on Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed 15,884 people and left more than 2,600 unaccounted for in vast areas of its northern coast.Shizuo Kambayashi
/ AP

People pray for tsunami victims at a cenotaph in the coastal area of Arahama district in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2014, the third anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Japan marked the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster, which swept away 18,000 victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked a nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

Rubble remains in abandoned town, located about 3km from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 10, 2014 in Fukushima, Japan. On March 11 Japan commemorates the third anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 18,000 lives, and subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Ken Ishii
/ Getty Images

People observe a moment of silence in front of what is left of a disaster control center in an area devastated by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture, Tuesday, March 11, 2014. Japan is marking the third anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing, turned coastal communities into wasteland and triggered a nuclear crisis.Shizuo Kambayashi
/ AP

A woman lights bamboo candles for commemorate to victims of Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in front of Kobe’s light of hope memorial on March 11, 2014 in Kobe, Japan. On March 11 Japan commemorates the third anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 18,000 lives, and subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Buddhika Weerasinghe
/ Getty Images

Palestinian children fly kites bearing the Palestinian and Japanese flags to show their solidarity with Japan near a Japanese-funded housing project in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 11, 2014. The event was organized by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to mark the third anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan that killed thousands.SAID KHATIB
/ AFP/Getty Images

Relatives of victims of the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami bow to an altar as they offer chrysanthemums for the victims of the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami at the national memorial service in Tokyo on March 11, 2014. Japan observed a moment of silence on March 11 to mark the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster which swept away thousands of victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked the nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.FRANCK ROBICHON
/ AFP/Getty Images

A man offers prayers in front of the main entrance of Okawa Elementary School where 74 of the 108 students went missing after the March 11, 2011 tsunami in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, Tuesday, March 11, 2014. Japan on Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed 15,884 people and left more than 2,600 unaccounted for in vast areas of its northern coast.Shizuo Kambayashi
/ AP

Fishing boats sit grounded on land three years after the disaster in Namie, near the striken TEPCO Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture on March 10, 2014, one day before the third anniversary of March 11 massive earthquake and tsunami. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.YOSHIKAZU TSUNO
/ AFP/Getty Images

Two men offer prayers before the altar at Namie, near the striken TEPCO’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2014 on the third anniversary day of massive earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.YOSHIKAZU TSUNO
/ AFP/Getty Images

A family and tsunami survivors visit the seashore in Arahama district to pray for tsunami victims in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2014, the third anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. Japan marked the third anniversary of the quake-tsunami disaster, which swept away 18,000 victims, destroyed coastal communities, and sparked a nuclear emergency that forced a re-think on atomic power.KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

In this Sunday, March 9, 2014 photo, Yasuo Takamatsu, right, floats in the sea with his instructor, second from right, during a diving lesson at Takenoura bay, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan. Nearly three years after the earthquake and tsunami disaster that struck Japan’s northern pacific coastline, Takamatsu is learning to scuba dive in hopes of finding his wife. As Japan marks the third anniversary of the 2011 tsunami Tuesday, 2,636 people remain missing, their bodies presumably swept out to sea. Another 15,884 have been confirmed dead.Koji Ueda
/ AP

Gathering around what is left of a disaster control center devastated by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, people bow their heads Tuesday, March 11, 2014 in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture in a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m. when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast. Japan marked the third anniversary on Tuesday of a devastating disasters that left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing.Shizuo Kambayashi
/ AP

Relatives of tsunami victims offer prayers at the site of their house that was swept by tsunami at Namie, near the striken TEPCO’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2014 on the third anniversary day of massive earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.YOSHIKAZU TSUNO
/ AFP/Getty Images

Bangladeshi people hold lit candles as they pay homage to the victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, March 10, 2014. Japan on Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster known as 3.11 that killed 15,884 people and left 2,636 unaccounted for in vast areas of its northern coast.A.M. Ahad
/ AP

A woman touches a memorial engraved with the names of the victims at Okawa Elementary School on the three year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2014 in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. On March 11 Japan commemorates the third anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 18,000 lives, and subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Yuriko Nakao
/ Getty Images

People pray for victims of March 11 massive earthquake and tsunami atthe former disaster control center in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture on March 9, 2014 two days before the third anniversary of March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

Buddhist monks offer prayers at Okawa Elementary School on the three year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2014 in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. On March 11 Japan commemorates the third anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 18,000 lives, and subsequent nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Yuriko Nakao
/ Getty Images

A Buddhist statue (L) erected to honour Japan’s tsunami victims is seen on the seashore one day before the third anniversary of the country’s March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the Arahama district of Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, on March 10, 2014. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 sent a huge wall of water into the coast of the Tohoku region, splintering whole communities, ruining swathes of prime farmland and killing nearly 19,000 people.KAZUHIRO NOGI
/ AFP/Getty Images

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